Former India batter Gautam Gambir had led Kolkata Knight Riders to a couple of Indian Premier League titles. However, he believed that he could’ve won two more trophies with the franchise had it bought West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell earlier.
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Gambhir was roped in by the Knight Riders during IPL 2011 auction when he became the most expensive player in the auction at the time. While his captaincy tenure lasted between 2011-2017, Russell joined the franchise in 2014.
It is noteworthy that Russell was representing Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in his maiden IPL season when KKR bagged their first title in 2012. On the contrary, he was part of the franchise during their title-winning campaign a couple of years later. That being said, he didn’t play any massive role in a victorious season.
Gautam Gambhir Believed INR 60 Lakh Andre Russell Could Have Won Couple Of More IPL Trophies For KKR
Talking to Star Sports in 2020, Gambhir had thrown light on the mockery than an IPL auction can be. He compared Russell’s trade to KKR for INR 60 Lakh in 2014 to that of India spinner Pawan Negi getting sold for INR 8.5 crore to Delhi in 2016. There was a massive difference in the salaries of both these players.
Part of DD in 2012 and 2013, Russell had never received regular opportunities at a franchise which was known for continuous chopping and changes. In fact, even after joining Kolkata, he had played just a couple of matches in 2014. In 2015, the franchise finally started to utilize Russell, and the all-rounder became one of the biggest match-winners in the history of the tournament. Although KKR haven’t won a title after 2014, Gambhir had spoken highly of the Jamaican three years ago.
“Imagine [Andre] Russell going for INR 50 lakhs to KKR and Pawan Negi for INR 8 crores to [Delhi] Daredevils. I probably wished that he [Russell] would have been there for seven years when I was playing. We would have certainly won one or two more [seasons].”
Readers must note that Russell is still with the Knight Riders in the IPL. Just like West Indian spinner Sunil Narine, he is also a part of the franchise in various T20 leagues around the world. Russell is currently on an INR 16 crore contract in the IPL, whereas Negi hasn’t played in the tournament since 2019.
Did Pawan Negi Justify His IPL 2016 Price Tag?
There is going into a safe house about the fact that Daredevils had certainly surprised one and all by splashing such a high amount on Negi. During the auction before the ninth season of the IPL, Rising Pune Supergiants also gave a tough competition to Delhi for the spin-bowling all-rounder. In general, the year 2016 was a good one for Negi as he was also selected in India’s ICC World Twenty20 squad.
It is to be noted that Negi’s lower-order hitting during Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2015-16 had enticed a lot of eyeballs. He scored 173 runs at a brilliant strike rate of 173. With the ball, he could just scalp six wickets in nine games at an economy of 8.71. It was yet another case where the franchise made an impulsive call in the auction.
It is clear that Negi was not able to justify his price tag. It was a horrendous season for him as the franchise played him in eight matches. In those games, he could scalp a lone wicket at an economy rate of 9.33. As expected, Delhi decided to release him ahead of IPL 2017 auction where Royal Challengers Bangalore grabbed him for just INR 1 crore (a massive INR 7.5 crore drop).
